YMMV / The Cable Guy

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Alternate Character Interpretation: The behavior of "Chip Douglas," or whatever his name is, takes on a slightly different tone when you realize that much of his behavior - reciting TV shows, misreading social situations, and blatant scripting ("The future is now!") - are typical of the autism spectrum.

Heartwarming Moments: For a dark comedy, this film does at least have one genuinely good moment between the Cable Guy and Steven. At the karaoke party, Steven gives the Cable Guy a speech therapy cassette called "Lose Your Lisp in 30 Days". The Cable Guy is genuinely touched by the gift, possibly even the one time in his life anyone has shown him any sort of true compassion and thought. For the brief moments afterward, the Cable Guy and Steven could possibly even be considered friends. Of course, everything falls apart shortly after that, but it's still a decently touching moment in an otherwise pitch black film.

Ho Yay: Though Chip just desperately wants to be friends with Steven, there are shades of this about his longing.

Misaimed Marketing: The movie was, of course, pitched in marketing materials as just another wacky Jim Carrey comedy, leaving many an audience shocked to find out that it was in fact a creepy Black Comedy in which Carrey plays an insane stalker.

Mood Whiplash: The movie can never decide if the title character is funny-creepy or scary-creepy. He spends an inordinate amount of time being the first, whereas if he were played by anyone other than Jim Carrey it would be intensely uncomfortable. When he ratchets his creepy-factor Up to Eleven near the last third, it seems almost like a different movie.

Tear Jerker: When Steven retrieves Robin from Chip after a struggle atop of a satellite dish, all Chip has to say after the fact is "I just wanted to be your friend! ... but I screwed it up." His confused, heartbroken face tells the whole story.

"Somebody has to kill the babysitter..."

Values Dissonance/Values Resonance: A very interesting example: in the Netherlands, many critics interpreted and even recommended the film as a psychological gay drama. Possibly because homosexuality is widely accepted in the country (so interpreting Chip's stalker behavior as romantic love isn't weird — rather, it's dramatic), and because the comedy style is somewhat similar to Dutch surrealist drama as a genre.

Which arguably misses the entire point, which is that Chip is so desperate for friendship and so incapable of dealing with it in a healthy way that he acts as if he is interested in a romantic way.

Vindicated by History: When it was released in the 90s, Cable Guy got mixed response from critics and audience alike who thought it was too far of departure from Carrey's traditional goofball roles. Today, Cable is regularly brought to the table as one of the best Jim Carrey comedies, and even possibly movies in general in his resume.

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